Gu Fangchen and Zhuo Liu each made a Heart Demon Oath under the witness of the Heaven-Penetrating Eye, thus completing the transaction.
Zhuo Liu's attitude changed drastically from before, and he put on a smile.
"Lord Yin has already sent secret letters to every A-Class Division. Before the day is over, the news that Gu Lianqian possesses the Lotus Concealed in the Womb will spread throughout the entire Great Wei."
"If you are satisfied, honored guest, and wish to buy or sell intelligence again, you may come to us."
Gu Fangchen replied lightly, "Fair enough, just remember next time, don't play little tricks again."
He smiled faintly, pinched the eyeball, and crushed it with sudden force.
Black blood seeped through Gu Fangchen's palm, intertwining like thorny vines to wrap around the eyeball before closing in tightly.
The Poison Blood Tethering Formation he had drawn in advance activated.
This formation belonged to the path of Gu Poison Arts, forming an array through poison as the medium. The Gu Dao was considered a lesser substitute for the Art of Causality and Fate, yet far more sinister and feared by most cultivators.
Ordinarily, to cast a Gu curse, one required a piece of the target's physical body as the medium.
For example, hair, or blood.
Of course, an eye also qualified.
This spell, designed specifically to target divine powers related to flesh and organs, was the natural nemesis of the Sky-Eye Division.
"Boom!"
The entire eyeball exploded, and with a sizzling hiss, was completely corroded by Gu Fangchen's blood...
...
The smile on Zhuo Liu's face instantly froze.
The countless eyes stacked along his arm all burst open at once, dissolving into a pool of black fluid. The fluid writhed like living worms, trying to burrow back into his flesh.
His expression changed drastically. Forming a seal with one hand, he grew another layer of eyes on his arm, trapping the writhing "worms" before detonating them all together.
Zhuo Liu's face turned pale as he looked grimly at his mangled arm.
That one strike nearly destroyed his entire limb!
"Gu Poison! That bastard's a Gu Master!"
He had originally intended to connect to that eyeball and temporarily transform it into his incarnation to seize the enemy.
But he had instead ended up suffering the consequences himself...
Fortunately, the opponent seemed only to have issued a warning. Had that poison Gu truly infested him, the result would have been disastrous.
Zhuo Liu hurriedly contacted the Yin Chief to report. The phantom wearing a white mask fell silent for a few moments.
"It seems... this man understands us very thoroughly."
Zhuo Liu hesitated.
"His clothes are from the Jade Void Sect, should we, "
The Yin Chief shook his head.
"No need."
"Since he knows our methods so clearly, how could he not be prepared? When has the Jade Void Sect ever produced a Gu Master? It's just a disguise."
"For now, send someone to keep close watch on the Autumn Peace Road battlefield. Do not act rashly."
"Yes."
The Yin Chief paused, then continued,
"But this intelligence... is quite interesting."
Zhuo Liu frowned.
"Lord Yin, wasn't it fabricated nonsense?"
The Yin Chief chuckled.
"Just last night, Gu Yuye most likely met Princess Prajna at White Horse Temple. You think that's a coincidence?"
Zhuo Liu inhaled sharply, bowing his head without daring to speak further.
The Yin Chief mused,
"Release Gu Lianqian's movements along with the news. Let's see how Gu Yuye reacts."
"Yes."
...
Gu Fangchen shook his head.
The Sky-Eye Division were no saints, they were just a group of profit-chasing intelligence merchants.
Now that Gu Fangchen held their lifeline, there was no way they wouldn't panic.
He didn't even need to think to know they would try to strike from behind, so he made sure to act first.
Though his current cultivation was only at Eighth Grade of the Divine Path, with the two deadly poisons fused within his body and his specialized formation arts, his opponent would surely be too wary to gauge his true strength.
Crushing that eyeball had also ensured they couldn't analyze his current disguise.
With the Sky-Eye Division's efficiency, Gu Lianqian would soon be too busy saving herself.
That would buy Gu Fangchen enough time to enter the battlefield and seize what he wanted.
However, Gu Fangchen didn't truly wish for Gu Lianqian to die at the hands of those cultivators or wandering martial artists.
At least for now, she hadn't yet carried the blood of innocents or become the blade in Gu Yuye's hand.
As for the original body's hatred toward her, well, that much was deserved.
What he truly wanted was to divert part of Gu Yuye's attention, turn the tide of the Autumn Peace Road campaign, and save the White Dragon Army.
To flip Gu Yuye's table entirely.
And perhaps, let Gu Lianqian wake up from her dream of heroism a bit earlier.
"Whoosh-"
Gu Fangchen descended before the Half the Rivers and Mountains barrier, took a deep breath, and reached through the ink-like veil.
The sight before him was brutal, smoke rose in waves from the distance, with faint sounds of battle echoing through the air.
His expression hardened as he drew the Finest Stream.
He had to admit, Senior Brother Liu's gift had arrived at the perfect time. On the battlefield, having a usable weapon made a world of difference.
Otherwise, he'd still be scavenging blades from the corpses.
That, too, would have been its own kind of mental trial...
Once he entered the border battlefield, there were no clear markers to navigate by.
After walking for a while, Gu Fangchen planted his sword into the ground, observing the length of its shadow to determine direction.
He traveled roughly a hundred li, deeper into the battlefront, surrounded everywhere by the banners of the White Dragon Army.
"Rumble..."
The ground suddenly trembled.
Gu Fangchen's expression darkened. He raised his head, narrowing his eyes as scarlet beams of light erupted skyward in the distance.
"The Blood River Repentance Formation!"
His heart sank.
"I still arrived too late. Xiao Yinghao has already been trapped, that's the worst-case scenario!"
"Once the enemy confirms that Xiao Yinghao can't escape in the short term, they'll immediately launch a full-scale offensive. With a headless force of 150,000, the White Dragon Army will clash directly with 300,000 Qingman troops. Over 100,000 will die before Xiao Yinghao breaks free to drive them back, but even that won't count as a victory."
Gu Fangchen looked up at his skill, "Keep Hitting the Nest," and took a deep breath.
Before coming here, he had already considered, if luck truly turned against him and this situation occurred, what should he do?
This battle left little record in the game. After losing its commander, it was almost purely a fight of raw numbers.
Since that was the case, he could push those numbers upward himself.
Beyond the border of the Autumn Peace Road ran the Sishi River, hundreds of zhang wide, roaring with current.
If the White Dragon Army acknowledged him as their superior, then "Keep Hitting the Nest" could affect them all.
Using the terrain to lure the Qingman army into the valley, he would reverse the Sishi River's flow to cleanse the White Dragon Army.
At worst, he'd lose sixty percent of the troops, but drown a massive number of Qingman soldiers in return.
After all, this was a world where individual strength could overturn destiny. A single tier of power meant a hundredfold, no, a thousandfold, difference in might.
If he could elevate even one percent of them..
The entire situation could be reversed in an instant.